Books HITLIST THE BEST BOOKS, COMICS & EVENTS
Iain Banks The Stonemouth juggernaut keeps on rolling as Banksy heads for Fife to discuss his homecoming/revenge tale set in a small town near Aberdeen. Lochgelly Centre, Lochgelly, Thu 21 Jun.
Jonathan Falla and Leila Aboulela As part of Refugee Week, the Beeb’s Serena Field chats to Aboulela (The Translator) and Falla (Blue Poppies) about their understanding of different cultures. Central Library, Edinburgh, Thu 21 Jun. Zoe Margolis As part of the Festival of the Erotic Arts, journo, blogger and sexual health charity ambassador Margolis delivers a talk entitled, ‘Modern Erotica: The Art of Sex Blogging’. Whitespace, Edinburgh, Sat 23 Jun.
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Simon Jackson/Torpedo Buoy Poet Jackson doubles as Torpedo Buoy (‘TS Eliot soundtracked by a ramshackled, Latino, gypsy orchestra’). Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh, Sat 23 Jun.
Cathi Unsworth Dubbed the ‘first lady of noir fiction’, Unsworth goes ahead and proves it with Weirdo, an intense crime drama which portrays the mean side to Britain. See review, page 53. Serpent’s Tail. East Neuk Festival Among those appearing in the bookish part of this Fife festival are Kathleen Jamie and Sara Maitland (pictured). See preview, page 55. Various venues, East Neuk, Fife, Wed 27 Jun–Sun 1 Jul.
Janice Galloway The ever-popular Ayrshire author is in conversation about the latest leg of her ‘anti- memoir’ memoirs, All Made Up, which takes the story into her tough teenage years. Central Library, Edinburgh, Thu 5 Jul.
Mark Millar The award-winning graphic novelist was the hottest cultural Scot on the planet in 2010 (according to us) and his tireless work continues as he signs copies of Kick-Ass 2. Plan B Books, Glasgow, Sat 14 Jul.
Dava Sobel In this RBS museum talk, the internationally- renowned author hooks up with Professor John C Brown, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, and Dr John C Taylor. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Fri 6 Jul.
A Pound of Flesh A trio of our top crimewriters club together to impart wisdom and some jet-black humour. Alex Gray, Tony Black and Doug Johnstone are the scribes in question. Central Library, Dundee, Thu 12 Jul.
52 THE LIST 21 Jun–19 Jul 2012
list.co.uk/books
FirstWrites INTRODUCING DEBUT AUTHORS
SAM THOMPSON has a go at this issue’s debut author Q&A. His first book is a meditation on a place
Give us five words to describe Communion Town? Many stories, one strange city. Name one author who should be more famous than they are now? Robert Aickman. Sometimes described as a writer of ghost stories, his work is ambiguous, surreal, creepy and permanently disturbing.
What was the first book you read? I can’t remember, but Where the Wild Things Are was one of the first to make a big impression, in the same way that A Wizard of Earthsea and Lord of the Flies did later on.
What was the last book you read? The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz, a Polish art teacher who was murdered by a Gestapo officer in 1942. He wrote bizarre, inimitable tales which transform his family life into a crazy private mythology. Which book makes you cry? The ending of The Winter’s Tale really gets to me. For a moment Shakespeare makes you feel that you could recover everything you’ve lost and undo every bad decision you ever made. And then he takes it away again.
Which book makes you laugh? Anything by Flann O’Brien, because nobody does bitter sarcasm and eloquent rage like he does.
Which dead author do you wish was still alive today? We’ll never know what we lost when David Foster Wallace died.
What plans do you have for book number two?
I’m working on another novel, and my plan is not to talk about it until it’s finished. (Interview by Brian Donaldson) ■ Communion Town is published by Fourth Estate on Thu 5 Jul.